Skip to main content
VoxHighlight_Feb2026_JanikSollner
VoxHighlight_Feb2026_JanikSollner

Welcome to the February issue of The Highlight

Humanoid robots — actually useful ones, the kind you might encounter in day-to-day life — have long been the territory of science fiction, not reality. But their sci-fi ubiquity makes them an understandably tantalizing prospect, and “embodied AI” — AI given a physical system — is already making a difference in the world. Could this finally be their moment? In this month’s Highlight cover story, Adam Clark Estes explains what he learned watching a robot make lemonade, and what it tells us about the future of humanoid robots. Also in this issue: A jobless boom. The ethics of small pet ownership. And remembering the man who killed smallpox.


There’s a silver lining to our health care cost crisis

By Dylan Scott


We’re in an economic boom. Where are the jobs?

By Heather Long


The forgotten hero who helped eradicate one of humanity’s oldest killers

By Bryan Walsh


Who on Earth still doesn’t have electricity?

By Umair Irfan


The robots we deserve

By Adam Clark Estes


The case against owning small pets

By Kenny Torrella

See More:
The Highlight
What twins can teach us about friendshipWhat twins can teach us about friendship
The Highlight

They grow up together, but are twins destined to share a social network?

By Allie Volpe
The Highlight
Why “neighborism” is having a momentWhy “neighborism” is having a moment
The Highlight

After decades of social isolation, people are realizing proximity is a resource.

By Sara Radin
The Highlight
What haunts America’s animal shelter workersWhat haunts America’s animal shelter workers
The Highlight

“It’s draining, heartbreaking, and maddening.”

By Kenny Torrella
The Highlight
Renewable energy just broke a 100-year-old streakRenewable energy just broke a 100-year-old streak
The Highlight

Coal’s century at the top of the world’s power mix is over.

By Bryan Walsh
The Highlight
MAHA wellness culture is coming for teens. Grown-ups aren’t ready.MAHA wellness culture is coming for teens. Grown-ups aren’t ready.
The Highlight

A new generation of influencers is changing the face of the movement.

By Anna North
The Highlight
Welcome to the May issue of The HighlightWelcome to the May issue of The Highlight
The Highlight
By Vox Staff